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Ben Rosen and Mark Read Malmö podcast: Historic Performance Notes

So after 2 years of saying to myself I needed to listen to more podcasts I’ve finally gotten into the (highly productive) habit of listening to them during my daily commute. This is by no means an ideal way to fully appreciate the great information that’s being shared but it’s definitely better than nothing. Something else I decided to do was to take notes of interest (not whilst driving for any police reading this) so that I could better divulge those points that were useful to my practice. It also occurred to me that others who may have time demands could benefit from reading the condensed notes in order to help select podcasts that are better suited to their areas of interest. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them, Alan.

Ben Rosen and Mark Read Malmö podcast: Historic Performance

Enjoyed listening to this particular podcast, it was immensely interesting to hear the experiences of 2 domestic coaches who’ve made the journey to work in another country. I was recently in Scandinavia (Norway) for a weekend only but meeting new people and being exposed to a very different culture completely accelerated my coaching development. It was therefore apparent during the podcast that the move to Sweden has benefited both coaches in terms of career progression and application of their skills.

Notes of interest:

*The talk about Culture, of both the country and the club. How deeply ingrained cultures can have huge effects on the delivery of practice and strategies. Mention of battles to implement small changes that although difficult at the start become worthwhile (in terms of acceptance and impact) as time progresses.

*How even though players outwardly express dislike of structure they actually crave it, and thrive when implemented (personalised strength programmes for example)

*Invest time and effort in those changes that will have the biggest impact, the example of nutrition was used and how players would often skip breakfast or regularly eat fast food. This was changed over time through seminars (education) and links with local health food providers (practical implementation). I really enjoyed the real life problems discussed and how things don’t always work! Ben and Jerry’s is all I say on that one (you’ll have to listen to the podcast)

*KEY CONCEPT* Movement and stability underpin athleticperformance, the use of mobility drills integrated with engaging games for youth players was an exceptionally informative part of the interview, I have found the use these games extremely useful

*Picking a single physical quality the manager most wanted specific to each position, such as explosive acceleration and deceleration for strikers in the pressing of defenders. These qualities were then developed through position specific drills (examples given). I really liked this concept as it links to a coach I work with closely Tim Lees who’s philosophy ofbeing elite in at least 1 area ties in with the identification of the physical quality that will give you the best returns for your training investment

*Importance of networking and practice coaching wherever you can, I particularly liked the idea of setting yourself a challenge to network (attend events) and speak to at least 5 new people

What was interesting?

The use of MAS and the justification of running without the ball with the culture of the players and their nationality. Using the long period in pre season to increase aerobic capacity.

Many thanks to James Darley and his great work with Historic Performance Podcast